Shraman Mitra
When detectives arrived at a residence in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in December 1984, they were shocked to find Anthony Carroll lying dead in the driveway. An equally horrific scene awaited authorities inside as they found blood all over the floor and noticed Anthony’s ex-girlfriend, Cherie Bradley, dead inside the bathtub. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda: We Kill The Ones We Love’ chronicles the gruesome incident and follows the investigation that got to the bottom of the issue.
How Did Anthony Carroll and Cherie Bradley Die?
Reports mentioned that Anthony moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, just a few weeks before his death in order to be close to his elder brother. According to the show, the 20-year-old Anthony had taken to a life of drugs and even lived with several mental issues. Hence, his father asked Anthony’s brother to help him become a better person. Incidentally, Anthony even shared a 16-month-old child with Cherie Bradley, although he wasn’t very keen on carrying out his fatherly duties. On top of it, sources claimed that Anthony and Cherie had broken up shortly before the incident, and the latter was about to fly out of town.
On December 10, 1984, the Colorado Springs police were informed of a possible homicide in a posh area of the town. Once first responders arrived on the scene, they found Anthony lying dead in a pool of his own blood in the driveway. Upon closer inspection, medical examiners noticed multiple bullet wounds in the head and chest and declared it a homicide. Walking inside, the detectives saw that even though the whole house was extremely tidy, there was a bloody knife and a telephone on the floor. Besides, they found a gun, determined to be the murder weapon, on the sofa while the door to the bedroom appeared to be broken off its hinges.
Subsequently, law enforcement officers looked into the bathroom, only to find blood splatters on the walls. Cherie Bradley’s deceased body lay unresponsive in the bathtub, and detectives immediately noticed several stab wounds all over her body. Later, an autopsy determined that while Anthony was shot to death, Cherie died after being stabbed multiple times.
Who Killed Anthony Carroll and Cherie Bradley?
The initial investigation into the murder was pretty challenging as the police had no leads or witnesses to work with. Authorities believed it was not common for a single perpetrator to kill two victims using different weapons. Hence, while the police toyed with the idea of a second murderer, they also found no signs of forced entry and ruled out burglary as a motive. Moreover, they learned that the residence in which the murders occurred belonged to Anthony’s brother, Melvin Carroll, which made him the prime suspect in the investigation.
Eventually, while authorities were searching the crime scene, they were approached by Melvin’s wife, Victoria Carroll, who had Cherie’s baby in her arms. Victoria insisted that after breaking up with Anthony, Cherie had requested Melvin to give her a place to stay for a few days while she arranged for plane tickets. Once Anthony learned Cherie’s whereabouts, he came knocking at Melvin’s door, asking to be let in. Incidentally, he claimed he was only interested in talking, and they even watched a game together. However, the moment Cherie got up to go to the bathroom, Anthony grabbed a knife from the kitchen and followed her. The very next moment, Melvin and Victoria heard the two arguing before Cherie started screaming for help. That was when Melvin sent Victoria to the neighbor’s house with the baby before confronting Anthony.
Believing that Victoria was telling the truth, authorities asked Melvin if he was responsible for Anthony’s death. Melvin immediately confessed to shooting his younger brother but insisted he did so in self-defense. Incidentally, the show mentioned that by the time Anthony opened the bathroom door, Cherie was dead. However, he knew he had to kill Melvin to escape scot-free. Hence, even though Melvin warned Anthony to put the weapon down, the latter refused and was determined to end his brother’s life for good. Seeing no way out, the elder brother rushed into the bedroom, retrieved the gun he got from his grandfather, and shot Anthony in the arm. Still, the first bullet did nothing to stop Anthony’s murderous rampage, and after being chased through the whole house, Melvin confronted his younger brother in the driveway and shot him to death.
Melvin Carroll is Spending Time With Family Today
Once police officers got the whole picture, they were confident that Melvin had acted in self-defense. Moreover, even though the case was produced before a grand jury, they did not find any reason to charge Melvin with murder. Hence, the elder brother was cleared of all accusations and allowed to return to his family.
Since Melvin’s name was cleared, he has embraced privacy and prefers to keep her personal life under wraps. Besides, he even maintains a limited presence on social media, which makes his current whereabouts unclear. However, it seems like Melvin has built up a life surrounded by loved ones, and we hope he remains happy in the years to come.
